Wonder Woman: Still Bi, Still Invisible

7/13/2017

In the battle between DC and Marvel, I’ve always been more of a Marvel person. Iron Man always seemed like a better version of Batman, and I prefer my humble, relentlessly moral, super soldier Captain America over that it’s-a-bird-oh-wait-no-it’s-a-plane Superman. So, throughout the years I haven’t seen many DC movies. That being said, when I found out about Wonder Woman, I knew this was going to be one DC creation I couldn’t miss.

I’m all about empowering representations of women. I’ll see just about anything if you tell me that there are a few badass ladies passing the Bechdel Test in it. So right at “female superhero,” you’ve got my attention. I’m in. Then you add a female director and Robin Wright, and I am ALL in. So when the time came, my partner and I bought tickets to a showing on opening day, got there early, and took a very excited selfie in front of the movie poster outside the theatre.

Soon after the lights dimmed, we were introduced to the queer woman paradise that is Themyscira. Now, I’m pretty sure there was not a queer person in any theatre that thought just because this is a women-only island, nothing sexual was going down. Of course there is. Most of us queer folks find the popular belief that Steve Trevor is Diana’s first kiss to be straight-up laughable.

This brings me to my final – and very special – reason to buy a ticket or two. Or five:

Wonder Woman is – according to current Wonder Woman comic writer Greg Rucka – definitely bi. Having read about this confirmation of Diana’s queerness late last year, I was all the more excited to see her character come to life on the big screen.

“is supposed to be paradise. You’re supposed to be able to live happily. You’re supposed to be able — in a context where one can live happily, and part of what an individual needs for that happiness is to have a partner — to have a fulfilling, romantic and sexual relationship. And the only options are women.”

So of course there are same-sex relationships happening here. Now, the fact that these relationships exist on the island doesn’t in itself confirm Diana’s bisexuality. That confirmation came later in the interview:

“Now, are we saying Diana has been in love and had relationships with other women?,” said Rucka. “As Nicola [Scott, Rucka’s artist/collaborator] and I approach it, the answer is obviously yes.”

And let’s not forget the line in the movie, “when it comes to pleasure men are unnecessary.” Every queer woman in that theatre, myself included, let out a very audible guffaw at that one.

So, yes. Wonder Woman is bi. And though it’s not an aspect of her character we got to see in this first film, actress Gal Gadot, who played Wonder Woman, seems to be very open to the idea of exploring it in future films.

“It’s not something we’ve explored. It never came to the table, but when you talk theoretically about all the women on Themyscira and how many years she was there, then what [Rucka] said makes sense. In this movie she does not experience any bisexual relationships. But it’s not about that. She’s a woman who loves people for who they are. She can be bisexual. She loves people for their hearts.”

She told Yahoo Movies’ Kevin Polowy that including Diana’s bisexuality on film is an “option.” “We never experience that [in the film],” she said. “Maybe in the future, who knows?”

After Wonder Woman’s massive debut and subsequent success with fans and critics alike, a sequel is reportedly already in the works. Here’s hoping that might include a new love interest for our favorite Amazon warrior? Maybe a non-straight-male one? Time will tell.

But I can tell you one thing, as long as DC keeps making movies with my now-favorite badass, bi, female superhero in them, they’re going to keep on getting my money. Marvel, who?

McKenna Ferguson is a bi activist, writer, and Corgi enthusiast living in Los Angeles. Originally hailing from suburban Colorado, McKenna graduated from Colorado State University with a major in English and a minor in Media Studies. Her work focuses on such things as LGBT life, entertainment and pop culture, and intersectional feminism. You can follow her on Twitter @McKennaMagazine for ramblings on her daily life and whatever show she's currently bingeing on Netflix.